A New Beginning

Daddy had Friday off again. He took it as a personal day. That meant that I got to walk with Dakoda again. He is a very friendly guy, but he is still a puppy and needs to learn some manners. He kept jumping in my face. I was very tolerant. despite all that, we had a nice walk. It was the last time I will be walking with him too. His mom isn't getting along with one of her roomates and they are moving back to New Hampshire this coming weekend. Mom is a bit upset because now she has to find another regular dog walking client. I know she will find a new client very soon.

Saturday morning was quiet. Daddy is teaching skating again so it was just me and mom hanging out. When daddy got home we went for a nice long walk down Winter Street. We went down the trail and walked down to the bridge. I really enjoyed that. After the walk, mom and dad went to meet a friend for lunch. I wish dogs were allowed! Mom and dad made up for it though because they took me on another long walk through our town. We went to the little park again near where the Farmer's Market used to be. Mom said the market is gone until next summer. Mom closed the gate and daddy let me off the leash. I got to run and play. I really had fun. We left the park and mom and dad tried to get me on that elevator thing again!! No way!!! Did they think that I had forgotten about that? I went into statue mode and refused to budge. I got my way and we walked up the hill and through the garage. It was a quiet day, but I got some good exercise.

Sunday was when the weird weather came. It got really cold. It is only mid October and the trees around here still have most of their leaves. The temperature is supposed to be in the 60's this time of year. Well, it went down in the 30's and it was snowing out!! Daddy video taped it! It was strange to see all the fall trees with snow coming down. I had to wear my new winter coat. It was supposed to be given to me on my birthday but mom had to give it to me early. I was nice and warm with it. Later in the afternoon I got to go to the pet store for food, bones and my cookie.

Not much happened last weekend so mom didn't add an entry. It rained all day Saturday. Our town of Maynard had it's annual Oktoberfest street fair. Mom was there for her dog training business and she was also there for MayDOG (Maynard Dog Owner's Group). The rain really affected things and not many people came. Mom was a bit disappointed. Sunday was a bit better. The weather had cleared. I got to go to the pet store and I went on a MayDOG walk with my friend Kiera. We went down the trail across the street from my house. Kiera's mom gave me a dog coat, but it didn't fit. It was way too small. Mom ordered me a special greyhound winter coat so I will be toasty warm when the cold weather hits.

Friday, daddy took the day off of work. He had a dentist appointment. He got home early enough so Daddy and I went with mom when she went to walk a dog client. Mom walks 2 dogs as part of her business. This dog was named Dakoda. He is a long haired German Shepard. He is still young and acts like a big puppy. We got along fine and we had a nice long walk together. That was fun. Daddy walked me and mom walked Dakoda. He really wanted to play with me. When we got home, the mail had arrived. My new coat was in the mail delivery! Mom opened it to try it on me. It fit great! It has a gortex outer shell which is water proof and a polar fleece lining. It also has a neck warmer and snood. Mom says she is going to wrap it up because it is my birthday present. Mom bought a purple coat because I look really good in purple. By some strange coincidence, it is also mom's favorite color!

Today was Saturday. We all got up very early. After breakfast we got into the car and drove a long way. We ended up at Mill Pond in Newbury, MA. There is a recreational park and pond there. Mom's old church was having a pet blessing and mom wanted me to be blessed. Mom really misses her old church but it is too far away from where we live now. The church is called Unity On The River and is in Amesbury, MA. Mom and dad go to another Unity church closer to our house in Cambridge. Anyway, we walked down to the pond but no one was there. Someone told us that we had to go back to the parking lot because all the pets walked in a parade down to the pond. We turned around and started to head back to the parking lot. We went half way back when mom saw her old minister, Shipley. If mom had a tail it would have been wagging! Mom and Shipley were so happy to see each other. Shipley gave mom a big hug and they chatted back down to the pond. We went back and met another couple with their dog. We waited but no one was coming. A kid ran down and said there were people waiting in the parking lot. Rev. Shipley told us to wait at the pond and she walked back to get the other people. Not too many people came. We all stood in a circle and the humans held hands. They prayed for all the animals everywhere. After that, each dog there got an individual blessing. I got 2 bones and a blessing certificate!
After the blessing, we got back in the car and drove to NH. We stopped at a pet store called Little Critters. Mom said she used to work there. One of the people she worked with was still there. Mom had fun talking to her. We walked all around the pet store. I got some food, a new rawhide bone and a great cookie. After the pet store, mom and dad stopped at a small health food store called the Blue Moon. It was a cool day so they left me in the car for a few minutes to order food to go. Mom came back after a few minutes and stayed with me while daddy waited for the food. Next we went to grampy's house. Mom and dad ate their food there. I got to run in grampy's back yard. The yard is fenced in and I could go from the yard, into the garage and into the porch. I pretty much stayed with mom and dad though. I had fun at grampy's. Grampy had to go to his church, so we said our goodbyes and headed to grammy's house. Daddy wanted to stop at another health food store to get cookies. Mom stayed with me in the car. We arrived at grammy's and her neighbors invited me to play with their dog, Casey. I was kind of tired, but I ran around a bit. I took one of Casey's bones and started to chew on it. The neighbor said I could keep it! We visited with grammy awhile and then she had to leave to go to church!! I don't know what all this church stuff is!!! I fell asleep in the car on the ride home. What a busy day it was today! I am going to sleep well tonight.

Mom is behind again in my diary. She has been working very hard to get her business going as well as work full time at her old job. After next week she will be cutting her hours down at the other job to 2 days per week. She just got a new client today!

Last Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market like usual. We took the car because daddy had to go to the bank after. It was a beautiful day so after mom and dad shopped, they put the food in the trunk of the car and took me for a walk by the river. There is a little park near the river and where the Farmer's Market is. To get to the park you have to walk through a parking garage. I was fine with the garage, but daddy wanted me to walk down some stairs. I planted myself firmly on all four legs and refuse to move. Mom and dad encouraged me, but there was no way I was going down those stairs. Daddy finally gave up and we had to walk around through the garage to get to the park. It is a small park but it is fenced in. I got to go off my lash for a bit while mom and dad sat on the bench. On the way back to the car mom and dad tried to get me to walk up the stairs! Humans just don't learn. I don't do stairs!!! Then mom suggested we take the elevator! I had no idea what an elevator was. Mom pushed a button and the door opened. Daddy led me into a very small room and then the door closed. Mom pushed another button inside and the darndest thing happened! The whole room started to move! I could feel the floor move under my paws! I wasn't scared exactly, but I was a bit confused. The room stopped moving and then a door on the opposite wall where we entered opened. I was in another place! Talk about strange.
Later in the day we went to Especially For Pets to buy food and cookies. They were having some kind of dog fair! Mom and dad had no idea they were having a fair that day. We just sort of stumbled upon it. A dog was coming out of the store and flipped out on his owner. A lady from the store helped him to calm down. Mom and dad kept me far away from the dog. I did get some free cans of dog food and some yummy bison treats. That was good. Mom also bought me this incredible cookie and the biggest raw hide bone I had ever had. It took me 4 days to finish it!! After the pet store, mom and dad took me for a nice long walk. It was a very fun day- except maybe the elevator- I'm still not quite sure what happened.

Sunday was wet and rainy. Greyhound Adventures was cancelled and it was too far away any way. Mom and dad went to something called church instead. When they got back, they started cooking in the kitchen. Sure enough, shortly after people started to come to the house. Everyone brought food. Mom called it a "pot luck". 11 people including mom and dad were there. The humans went around the room and introduced themselves. Mom introduced me to everyone like I was a human too. Some of the humans sat near my bed and petted me. I liked that. I wasn't too stressed out by it all and actually fell asleep.

Today, mom had off from her other job. She only had one dog walking client, so we went for a long walk down the river trail across the street. It was a nice, cool, Fall day and we didn't see or meet anyone else. I enjoyed my time with mom. Mom said that once she cuts down her time at the other job, we will have more time together. That will be nice.

We walked to the Farmer's Market this morning. Mom said it is good for my socialization. I don't know why, but everytime I go there, a lot of people want to pet me. All these hands reaching out to me. It scares me. Mom was talking to a whole group of people about me. She tried to keep my stress level down by taking me away from any crowds. I appreciate that. Mom says the more I get out, the more comfortable I will be. I am getting better all the time. Mom says I can go at my own pace and she never forces me to meet people. After the Farmer's Market we went back home to put the food away. Our neighbor was having a yard sale. Mom noticed that she was trying to sell some nice comforters and blankets. She asked our neighbor if she would be willing to donate them to Greyhound Friends in Hopkington. They are always looking for blankets and comforters for bedding in the kennels. Our neighbor said "Yes". Mom put them in the trunk of the car and we got in. We stopped off at the pet store first and got food. I got a cookie and a new rawhide bone! I love going to the pet store. I am totally relaxed there. It is much more fun than the Farmer's Market. After the pet store, we went to Greyhound Friends. Louise Coleman runs it. She is very nice and loves greyhounds. She was very happy to get the blankets and comforters. Daddy asked if I could run in the big fenced in yard they have there. Louise said "Sure!" Daddy asked if there was a greyhound that would like to play with me. Louise brought out Brutus. He was very handsome. We liked each other a lot. We went into the yard and started to play. Mom was walking and watching us. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. Her foot fell into a deep hole and she fell down! Mom thought her ankle was broken. Luckily it is only a bad sprain. Daddy had to help her up from the ground. At first she couldn't get up! Brutus and I were just having too much fun to notice. I just thought that Mommy was tired. Mommy hobbled around afterward. She let us finish our play session and Daddy went to get us water. Mommy said she wished we could have taken Brutus home with us. I would have like that too. Mommy said maybe someday I can have a brother or sister. That would be nice. Mommy is resting now. She is wearing an ankle brace and put ice on her foot. Mommy is sorry, but she doesn't think we can go to Greyhound Adventures tomorrow because she can't walk very well. I understand. We can go next week if mom feels better. Daddy took me for my evening walk tonight. Mommy is walking very slowly. I'm happy with my new bone. I have been chewing on it for several hours now.

It was a very busy weekend! Mom and dad didn't even get a chance to go to Farmer's Market! Saturday was Greyhound Friends Fall Open House. We were in charge of the Silent Auction table. It was a cool, rainy day. They moved us inside into the conference room. There was a greyhound there in a crate named Colleen. She kept growling and barking at me. I didn't know what her problem was. Mom set me up with my blanket and a water bowl. Daddy took me out for frequent walks. I did meet some nice people and let some of them pet me. Not many people came. We only got a few bids on the auction items. I did get my nails trimmed though. Because of the weather, I never got to enter the costume contest. Mom was a bit disappointed. 3 greyhounds did get adopted so that was nice. I was happy for them. In fact one was named Happy!

Sunday was a much nicer day. Mom put a pretty purple flowered bandana around my neck. We went to the pet store to buy food and a peanut butter cookie! Yummy!! My friend Mollie and her mom and dad came by for a visit. Mom was sad. She told me that I might not be able to see Mollie again! Mollie was leaving to go back to live with her old owner! I am really going to miss her. I'll still have Kiera for a friend. Mollie's mom said that maybe she could talk Mollie's new/old dad to bring her on some of our group walks. I hope he does. After we said a sad goodbye to Mollie, we got into the car. We were on the highway when all the traffic stopped moving. Mom said there was a bad accident up ahead. We were stuck in traffic for about a half an hour. Finally we drove by a car upside down and another that was all smashed up. Daddy read later that no one was seriously hurt. After the traffic jam, we went to the Pet Rock Festival. There were thousands of people and dogs! We went to all the booths and met some more people. I was a bit shy, but I did OK. I got to go in a small swimming pool. That was fun. My friend, Gill was there with his mom, Carla. They were with Greyhound Friends.They had a music concert too. Mom was all excited! The feature band was a band that mom was crazy about when she was a teenager. It had been 30 years since she had seen them. They were called the Bay City Rollers. Actually only one original member was there. His name was Ian. Mom still had a great time. She was singing and dancing and connected with some other ladies who were big fans too. The music was a little too loud for me, so daddy walked around a big field with me. After the concert, mom got Ian's autograph and had her picture taken with him. She was happy.
Mom called grampy when we got home. Grampy had very sad news. His cat, Smokie (I met him last weekend) had something called cancer. Grampy had to put him to sleep. Grampy really misses him. I could tell he was very sick. He couldn't eat anymore and had tumors inside of him. Mom and dad are sad too. I'm glad grampy has his other cat, Blackie to keep him company.
I'm tired now. It was a busy weekend. I still have my bandana on!

On Saturday we went to Farmer's Market again. Daddy did the shopping while mom stayed with me. Mollie's mom Lisa came over and started chatting. She was upset because Mollie has been barking too much. She has been doing a lot of training with Mollie but nothing is working. She said she was thinking of giving Mollie back to her original owner. I hope not. I love Mollie. She is my best friend. Lisa showed mom and dad her new electric scooter. It was cool. Mom stopped at a yard sale on the way home. She bought a crazy witches hat, some beads and leggings. They were for ME!!!! I am going to be in costume contest next Saturday. It is for Greyhound Friends fall open house. First prize is a $50 gift certificate. If I win, mom will use the gift certificate to get me a good winter coat. I am going as Isis- goddess of magic! I will look like a greyhound Harry Potter!!! Mom and Dad went out to lunch with some friends. I wasn't invited, humans only. On their way home, mom and dad stopped at a party store and bought me a cape for my costume! Mom cut the feet off the leggings and shortened them. She cut a hole for my tail. Daddy said they looked good on me. I'm not too sure about this whole costume thing. Mom and dad took me to the pet store. We went to the NEW Especially For Pets. They moved to a new location. It was great!!! I got a great cookie. I was drooling all over daddy's arm and trying to get into the front seat of the car to get it!! On my last walk of the night, a lot of things that didn't sell at the yard sale had been left in boxes for people to take for free. There was a box of stuffed animals. Mom got me a rabbit and a kitty. She took a few for herself too!

Sunday was a busy day! We went to NH to visit grammy, grampy and cousin Leila. First stop was grammy's house. She is daddy's mom. I had been there a few times before. The humans left me alone in grammy's house while they all went to the store to buy lunch. They weren't gone long. Mommy said that dogs can't go into places that sell food. I don't know why not? After lunch, mom and dad went outside to pick blue berries. I visited with grammy. After the blue berries were picked, I got to go play at grammy's neighbor's house. She has a fenced in back yard and a golden named Casey. There was also a puppy visiting named Bella. I ran and ran and ran and played with both dogs. I had played with Casey before but I had never met Bella. What fun I had. The humans enjoyed watching me run fast. The puppy tried to keep up with me but couldn't. I also found a great bone and chewed on it for awhile. After the play date it was time to visit grampy who is mom's dad. He has a fenced in yard too. I had been there before too. They were building a new house next to grampy's house. Mom and dad went inside and looked around. It is just being constructed. I was too tired to run in grampy's back yard. I did run a little. Grampy has two cats- Blackie and Smokie. I got to meet Smokie. He has been sick and has to go to the Vets soon. Grampy is going to call for an appointment on Tuesday when the office opens. Mom brought a lot of things home from grampys. I did get a new blanket which is nice. Next it was off to Cousin Leila's. I had never been there before. She has two cats too- Sammy and Mollie. They were a little scared of me, but I just laid there and did nothing. After a few minutes, they were fine with me being there. Mom, dad and cousin Leila had dinner. I laid down and was very good the whole time. We spent about 3 hours with each person. I was very tired. I actually slept until 8 am this morning. Mom said we would have a more quiet day today. That is fine with me. Mom said that next weekend will be busy too. More adventures! I can't wait!

Last weekend, mom's car started to smell funny after we went over a rough patch of road. Mom and dad were worried it could be something serious. It smelled like burning rubber. Daddy worked from home on Monday so he could take mom's car to get looked at. He drove mommy to work. When he went to pick mommy up, he asked me if I wanted to go too! Of course I did! I got to see where mommy worked. I must admit it was a very strange place. Mom works at a gym where people go to exercise. It was late at night so most of the people were gone. I got to go behind the desk. I was glad to see mom and now I know where she goes during the week. I was nervous though and I was shaking a little. I met mom's boss, a woman named Linda and Rose was there too (I met her once before). I was happy we didn't stay too long. Mom's car is OK for now. The rough road damaged one of the struts on the car and some fluid was leaking out on something hot. That was what was causing the smell. Mom will eventually have to replace the strut.

The weather cleared up by morning so I got to go back to Horn Pond with Greyhound Adventures. A lot of dogs came this time. I think Horn Pond is a favorite walk for a lot of us (dogs and humans). It is very pretty and quiet. One thing I was very glad about was that the Indian statue was gone. It stands in the woods near the little beach we go to. It scares me every single time! I don't know what happened to it. Only the base was there. Everyone went into the pond. We cooled our feet and splashed around. Some of the dogs actually laid down in the water. Beau taught us to do that. He does it in every lake or pond we go to- even in the winter time! Louise laid in the water with Beau. Mom got a picture. After the dip in the pond we continued on our walk. A huge swan was standing on the bank. He looked like he meant business. We all kept our distance. Mom got a picture of him too. We went a little further and then took a new trail that I had never been on. It went through some woods. It was fun! I liked exploring new trails.
Later in the day dad arranged a play date for me with Oscar. This is the yellow Lab, Oscar, not the Greyhound, Oscar! We were happy to see each other. I ran fast circles around the yard. I was making everyone dizzy. I even let Oscar's dad pet me for the first time! That made him very happy. I have been over Oscar's about 4 or 5 times now and I would never let Oscar's dad pet me. Oscar's mom could, but not his dad. I warm up to women faster than men. Mom thinks that more men handled me at the track, so I don't trust them as much. We were getting ready to leave when I got a second wind and did another fast sprint around the yard. I had a fun weekend!

We had to wear our rain coats to the Farmer's Market this morning. We also drove in the car. The market was very quiet. Only a few people were there. After we got home and dried off a bit, it was time to hop in the car again. Daddy drove us to the pet store near our house. We were doing another Meet and Greet for Greyhound Friends. Johnny B's mom was there but she didn't bring Johnny. It was because of the rain. I thought I was going to be the only greyhound, but after a few minutes, Troy and his mom came. Oscar came too but he went home with his dad. Mom put my blanket on the floor and Johnny B's mom provided water. It was fun hanging out with Troy. The pet store was kind of quiet. Mom said it was probably due to the rain. I did very well at the Meet and Greet and I actually greeted some people and let them pet me. I was behind a fence so that made me feel comfortable. I am not shy if I am in a pen. When I am just on my leash, that is a whole other story. Maybe in time I will be comfortable enough to let people pet me when I am on my leash. Troy knows how to sit. I have a hard time with "sit". My hips don't work like that. Mom showed off a bit and showed everyone that I knew the "Leave it" command. They were impresed. I was actually taking treats from Troy's mom and Johnny B's mom. That was a mile stone in itself. I was also getting a lot of petting from Johnny B's mom. I even let a little girl come behind the fence to pet me. A lady with a love bird came over to us. The love bird sat on daddy's shoulder! After the Meet and Greet, mom and dad did pet food shopping. I got some treats (the same kind Troy had) and a big peanut butter cookie! Was that good!!!!
We came home after shopping, put the pet food away and then mom and dad wanted to get food for them. They were going to leave me home, but I wanted to go. They let me come. It was a cool day so I could wait in the car. I enjoyed going for a car ride. I did very well waiting for them. Mom and dad ate, we watched a scary movie, and then mom and dad took me for a nice walk. The rain had pretty much stopped. It was still misty. We wore our rain coats just in case. After our walk, we got in the car again and went to Petco in Hudson. It is only about 15 minutes away. We needed cat litter for Ben and Charlie. The pet store near our house is too expensive. Mom also wanted to get me a no pull harness. I still don't like my head collar very much. She thinks I might like the harness better. The pet store near our house had them but again, it was too expensive. We got to Petco and went inside. Mom went to the harness section. They had all the sizes except the one I needed! Wouldn't you know it! Daddy went over to see the ferrets. A store worker let mom and dad pet one. They look like they would be fun to play with. They smelled funny though. We did get cat litter so that was good and then we came home. It was a busy day. Mom got on line and ordered my harness. She is getting me a purple one to match my purple leash. I look good in purple. Mom says we might go to Horn Pond tomorrow if the weather is nice. Troy's mom also said I can come over for a visit and play with Troy and Oscar some time soon. That will be fun.

I am really starting to play with my toys now! I had never had a toy at the race track, so I didn't know how to play when I first came to live with mom and dad. They bought me lots of toys but all I would do with them was hoard them and keep them close to me. I liked them and was proud of them, but I didn't know how to play. I kept watching Ben and Charlie playing and I finally figured it out. Daddy caught me playing with the recorder on his digital camera. The toy I am playing with was the green pepper that I won in the raffle basket!